Referendum today: Colchester residents are voting today on the general government and Board of Education budgets for 2013-14. All voting is from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Town Hall, 127 Norwich Ave.

A $52 million total: The total $52.2 million spending package has the support of the boards of Finance, Education and Selectmen. It includes a total education budget of $39,076,054, and $10,433,168 in town spending. Debt service amounts to $2,093,641.

Positions cut: Several vacant town positions are slated to be eliminated, including a delinquent tax collector, public works maintainer and food bank coordinator. Also, a Parks and Recreation administrator position was reduced from 35 hours to 20 hours. The reductions total about $85,000.

Health costs up: Cuts on the town side totaled approximately $270,000 or about 2 percent of the proposed budget, leaving a 3 percent increase over last year’s budget. Health insurance costs will increase almost 25 percent. Expenses without the health insurance are up about 1.6 percent. The Board of Education reduced its proposed budget by about $300,000, but maintained a full-day kindergarten initiative planned for this fall.

Taxes to rise: After the reductions, the school budget increased 4.14 percent over last year. An almost 17 percent increase in the self-funded health insurance is the reason for about half of the hike. Expenses without the health insurance are up 2.3 percent. The proposed property tax rate would rise from 28.80 to 30.28 mills, an increase of 5.1 percent.